US State Dept slams Congress for failure to renew anti-AIDS program
By Simon Lewis and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The failure of Congress to reauthorize the main U.S. program aimed at reducing the spread of AIDS sends a message that Washington is «backing down» from its leadership on the issue, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.
A deadline to renew long-term funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) passed on Saturday, despite a stop gap deal reached to avoid a partial government shutdown.
«In the short term, PEPFAR will be able to continue providing the lifesaving prevention, care, and treatment services in partnership with PEPFAR-supportive countries,» Miller told a reporters at a regular press briefing. He declined to say how long current funding would last.
«However, the fact that Congress did not re-authorize the program sends a message to partners around the world, especially in Africa, that we are backing down from our leadership in ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.»
The Biden administration supports a five-year extension of PEPFAR, which began in 2003 under Republican President George W. Bush and enjoyed bipartisan support until recently. The program was renewed five years ago by unanimous consent — with no objections from members of either party — in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
This year, Republican opponents of abortion rights, led by Chris Smith, who leads a House subcommittee responsible for the program, came out against a five-year reauthorization. Smith insisted PEPFAR should not be reauthorized unless it barred nongovernmental organizations that used any funding to promote or provide abortion services.
In a statement, Smith accused the Biden administration of changing the
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